Question
Hi James, I live in a relatively heavy rainfall area. My block of land has a gradual slope to the back end of the property. After heavy rain five square metres of ground at this end is under an inch of water, and stays that way for a day or so after the rain. The plan of my block shows a sewerage main right under the problem area, though I'm not sure if it is part of the problem. It could be clay soil was packed down after maintenance work on the main before I came here. In any case, I need some ideas as to how to best get the water to effectively drain from the area.

many thanks, Jim Tovey  

Answer
Jim, a little more info would help, but I'll give it a shot. Do you see any thing downhill to run drain tile to. Probably not or you wouldn't be asking me. You can try something called a gravel sump. This basically involves digging out  the soil in the area in where water sits, replacing it with large sized gravel. A fabric barrier under about one foot of topsoil will keep debri from clogging up the gravel. The gravel kind of acts as as well to hold  water when the clay soil is saturated. Eventually when things dry out a bit, the water will percolate into the clay soil. The depth of the gravel can become a trial and error project, but you want a minimum of 18 inches and the deeper the better. I, personally don't care for french drains because they can be mosquito breeders. Another thing to look at is simply regrading to get the water to flow to a natural or manmade drainage area. The mechanical solution is a sump pump, but that should be the last resort, not the first. pumps need maintenance, grravel is cheap, dirt is free.
Let me know, or if you've got more info.(max rainfallor elevation)   Jim